A Glimpse into the Future
By Major Dork
Summary: He went to bed in his own room alone, he woke up with a wife, three kids… and a screwed up future.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys, don't stop! Gotta get encouragement to keep going with this somehow! ;)
Part Two "Future Mistakes Makes For Crappy Lives"
The walk to Rodney's lab was done in silence. John had no idea what to say to the woman so different from the Elizabeth he knew. Had he done this to her? Was it his fault she was as hard as she now seemed? The thought worried John greatly, his imagination quickly bringing up scenarios, none of them good. Perhaps she was better off without him. Elizabeth stopped in front of McKay's lab and walked inside, Sheppard following behind her. "Rodney, we may have a problem," said Elizabeth.
"Hi Doctor Weir, Colonel Sheppard," greeted another voice. John looked next to Rodney to see a young boy in his teens.
Elizabeth smiled at the boy. "Ian! Hey, did you have fun yesterday?"
The boy, Ian nodded. "We've got some good waves this year, great for surfing. Dad video taped me," he told her then shut his laptop, looking over at Rodney. "Dad, I think I'm gonna go get some lunch. You want anything?"
"Dad?" questioned John. The idea of Rodney being a father had never even come into John's mind… especially considering how 'good' he was with kids. Ford had told him all about Rodney's fun with the two kids from their first year on Atlantis. Apparently it had taken chocolate to keep the poor kids happy after spending time with McKay.
Rodney smiled at Ian. "No, I'll get something later."
Ian nodded then gave a nod to John before leaving.
"Dad?" John repeated.
McKay rolled his eyes. "How many times are you gonna run that joke, John? I've been a father for fifteen years, the procreation jokes are getting kinda old."
Sheppard, looked over at Elizabeth. "Did he just call me John?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and took a step forward. "Rodney, we need you to do some digging into the list of artifacts we've found on Atlantis during our second year here."
"What? Why?" Rodney asked, confused.
John scratched the back of his head, feeling rather awkward. This future was so different, and he still hadn't gotten over the fact that Rodney McKay was an actual father. Who ever saw THAT coming?
"John can't remember anything after the year 2006… he said he went to bed one night and woke up here. Carson couldn't find anything that could attest to his memory loss so we thought that maybe retracing his steps a bit might help us shed some light on what's going on."
Rodney lifted an eyebrow in Sheppard's direction. "Memory loss without the symptoms… well that's new."
John sighed. "The last thing I remembered before bed was exploring Atlantis. We went into one of the labs… you found some data link with the scientist's notes in them."
"We visited a lot of labs during that time, John," McKay reminded him.
John glared at the men. "I was playing around with a few of the artifacts… you chewed me out about one… going on and on about the fact that we should be careful or something like that… I wasn't really listening."
"Big shock there… makes me wonder why the ears are even there," McKay muttered, rolling his eyes.
"You scrolled through the data pad a bit before we left. Apparently the lab was used mainly for finding was to defeat the Wraith. It was weird because out of all of the labs, that was the only one with a data pad that's information wasn't downloaded into the Ancient database. You were going to go through it to see why that was…" John went on, ignoring McKay's complaints.
Rodney frowned at that, staring at John, his mood changed inside a few seconds. "Oh my god," he whispered.
"What?"
"Dammit!" Rodney jumped out of his chair and hurried over to another computer, touching Ancient controls to show a certain item John remembered seeing once before.
"That's it!" John exclaimed. "I remember that thing. It was the last thing I looked at before I went to bed."
Rodney sighed. "I was afraid of that."
"What? Why?" asked Elizabeth, confused.
"It's called the 'Acara,' an Ancient device made by a scientist named Janus… sound familiar?"
Elizabeth frowned. "The older me we encountered in one of Atlantis' labs… the one that went back in time… she mentioned him. He helped ensure Atlantis' survival."
Rodney nodded. "He was also the one that created the time machine SG-1 found more than a decade ago. Radek and I were studying it. Scans recorded a large burst of energy the night we found it in my lab. The only information we could gather is the stuff we found in the data pad. The device was completely drained of its power after that burst of energy… but nothing ever happened that we knew of afterwards. Janus' private record mentioned that this device was supposed to 'correct pasts, presents, and futures.' Zelenka and I hypothesized that it could actually work independently, recording any mistakes worthy of completely shaping ones life for the worse whether it be in the past or things yet to come. We could never prove it though because of the power drain. In effect, this machine could literally allow anyone to correct any mistake worthy of changing, but of course, this mistake would have to have dire consequences, worthy of the machines focus."
"So what you're saying is… I'm here to fix something I did wrong before?"
Rodney nodded, frowning. "But we have a problem…."
"What?" asked Elizabeth, just as shocked as John.
"For years I tried hundreds of different ways to re-power the device using everything I could think of… but I never found a way to reactivate it. Even if you do fix whatever mistake you made before… you may not be able to go back to your own timeline," Rodney explained, giving John an apologetic look.
John frowned. "That could be a problem."
"Rodney, are you sure this device won't be able to send John back after he completes what he was sent here to do?"
Rodney shook his head. "I can't be sure of anything at this point. There's still very little we know about the device. I can take it out of storage and see if I can find something new, but my guess is… I won't find anything to help us send John back to his timeline."
"So I'm stuck here!" asked Sheppard, not liking this news one bit.
Rodney sighed. "There's no way to tell. It could be that the device doesn't have to be powered in order to send you back… or it could be that it'll happen naturally once you've fulfilled what you were sent here to do. Either way, there's no way of knowing until you accomplish what you were sent here to do."
"But I don't even know what I'm gonna do! I don't even know what I'm supposed to correct!" The Colonel fought.
"I guess you're just gonna have to figure that one out… and maybe next time you'll keep your hands to yourself!"
Sheppard rolled his eyes, rubbing his face to relieve the headache that was slowly making its appearance. "You have got to be kidding me!"
Elizabeth moved a hand to his shoulder, making him look at her. "We will figure this thing out, John, you just have to be patient. Look, you were supposed to have the day off today. I'll take the kids and you can go rest."
John shook his head, his gut feeling telling him that was far from what he needed to do at the moment. "No… I need to learn more about what the hell is going on. Obviously I made a huge mistake last go, I need more information. Let me talk to the kids, or at least one of them."
Elizabeth looked at him in surprise. "What could they possibly tell you? And how do we know this is even a good idea, you knowing about your own future?"
John looked into her eyes. "Please, Elizabeth… call it a gut feeling, intuition… whatever you'd like. All I know is that I have to talk to Jason, Anika, and Noah."
Elizabeth frowned. "How do you know their names?"
John shrugged. "That Carrie woman told me," he told her, regretting it as soon as he saw the look on Doctor Weir's face. It was as if he'd just slapped her by mentioning the blonde woman's name.
"Right," she muttered, then moved her hand off of his shoulder, her mask of decorum firmly put back into place. "Just let me explain the situation to them first."
Sheppard nodded in agreement. "Good idea."
Rodney broke the silence, feeling the awkwardness in the room. "I'll see what I can do here, maybe there's something I missed from before."
"Thanks Rodney, just keep at it," said Elizabeth just before she walked past Sheppard and out of the lab.
John winced at the chill he felt after seeing Elizabeth's expression. "John," McKay called just as John was about to leave. John turned around to look at the Doctor. "Don't take it personally… you just… you really hurt her, ya know? She's never really gotten over you."
John looked down for a moment, hating the thought of him upsetting Elizabeth. "Future mistakes make for crappy lives, my friend," he muttered before leaving.
Rodney smiled, turning back to the computer before him. He had quite a bit of work to do it seemed. "Never a dull moment…."
While Elizabeth spoke with the kids, John was sent to grab some lunch since it would probably take a while. Sheppard sighed, eating his lunch slowly, trying to wrap his mind around the future he now found himself in. Such a strange place this was turning out to be, yet so familiar. He could see Teyla and Ronan speaking to one another at one table, relaxed and enjoying their lunch… their two kids Nero and Kera with them. And odd combination, but somehow it worked… it was just so damn strange. At another table Ian McKay, Rodney McKay's son, sat alone eating his lunch, while on his laptop. John had no idea how to react to this strange new world so different, yet so similar to the one he was from. So much had changed, yet at the same time stayed the same. It was a confusing and twisted thing that John was sure he'd never truly get until his own timeline got to where he now resided… temporarily… he hoped.
"John, what happened to you this morning?"
Sheppard almost winced when he saw the blonde, Carrie, take a seat in front of him.
"Carrie…" he muttered, unsure as to what he was going to say. "I uh… I'm not really myself right now, and I'm sorry about earlier, but I was just a bit confused. It's complicated."
Carrie just raised an eyebrow, shaking her head. "Everything with you is complicated, John."
John frowned. "What do ya mean by that?"
Carrie just snorted. "John, you're one of the most complicated men I've ever known. It's probably why I like you so much… never have been able to shape up and be with a guy who I can actually understand."
She wasn't exactly making any sense, but ironically, he seemed to understand where she was coming from. Elizabeth Weir had always been a bit of a mystery too, someone he doubted he'd ever truly understand. It was the mystery that attracted him to her… well just one of the many things if he were being truthful. John looked down at his food, and then pushed it away. "You know… when I imagined where I'd be in the future… I never thought I'd be here… separated (soon to be divorced), with a girlfriend, and three kids."
Carrie shrugged. "It's screwed up… I know, but then again… what life isn't?"
"Yeah," John whispered, thinking about his own past. When John was five, his mother had left him and his father, not being able to take the job his father had chosen years before. His father was Air Force, it had been his life, it had taken over his life in some ways. Although John never spoke to his father anymore, not since he'd joined up despite his father's protests, he'd never really blamed the man for his mother leaving. How could he? She'd left them both, not even trying to have a relationship with John. Now here he was, barely a father if Elizabeth was being truthful, with three kids who saw him in probably the same way Sheppard saw his mother. It was a real eye opener, and not at all a life he was willing to repeat if given the chance to change it. Somehow, John knew the relationship he had with his family needed to change, and quick before he lost everything. "Carrie?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm not happy… am I?" he asked her.
Carrie hesitated, looking down. "Not really… not since you and Elizabeth split. Not since Simon."
"Simon?"
Carrie looked back up at him, confused. "Simon… Elizabeth's fiancé… the guy Elizabeth Sheppard is marrying in like… four days, right after the divorce papers are finished."
John's eyes widened. "What! Elizabeth's getting married!"
Carrie raised an eyebrow, a worried expression appearing on her face. "John… what the hell is up with you? It's been about the only thing on your mind lately and now suddenly you act as if you had no idea… are you okay?"
John closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. "This cannot be happening!"
"Sheppard, I know you still love her and everything… but I thought we agreed that you'd try to let go of this? You lost her a long time ago, John."
John stood suddenly, glaring at Carrie before he walked out of the commissary. This was seriously turning into a nightmare! His life was screwed up, he'd ruined it with the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he had THREE kids who barely respected him… didn't respect him. What the hell did that damn device want him to do!
It wasn't exactly his usual spot. No, this was Elizabeth's place, the place she went when she needed to think, needed to calm down, and needed to meditate on all that had happened. He could see the attraction as he watched the waves crash against Atlantis, the sounds giving him just enough peace to feel sane again. So much had happened in so little time, it was overwhelming him, and this moment in time was the only break he'd had so far. How could he have possibly messed things up this bad? What did he do to hurt Elizabeth? Why would he ever hurt her… someone so amazing? How had he lost the respect of his own children… beings he and Elizabeth created? Just the thought filled him with pain. He'd sworn to himself long ago that he'd never become like his mother… now he wondered if he'd broken that promise to himself.
"I thought I might find you here."
John turned around and frowned at the boy standing before him, arms crossed, looking way too much like his old man. "Jason… right?"
The boy smiled, walking up beside him. "Mom told me what's up with you. You must be pretty overwhelmed."
John turned back to look at the sky and ocean, sighing sadly. "Well it's always fun to hear you're gonna ruin everything good in your life until you're an unhappy bastard who's more alone now than he was before he had you guys and Elizabeth."
Jason sighed. "You do have Carrie," he muttered sarcastically.
John snorted. "Yeah, what's up with that anyway? Am I that messed up that I've settled for… that!" He didn't much trust Carrie, although he couldn't exactly figure out why… it was just something about her.
Jason laughed. "I think it was a progressive loss of limits… you and her actually hooked up after Simon proposed to mom."
John's smile faded away as he looked down. "What happened? How did I go from having everything to having nothing!"
Jason winced, hesitating. "I really don't think you wanna hear the E! True Hollywood story," he muttered.
Yup, the boy was definitely his son. "Tell me, Jason," John said sternly. He needed to know… to know if it was him and Elizabeth that needed to be fixed, if that was the mistake he'd soon make.
Jason looked out at the ocean. "You want the truth?"
John rolled his eyes. "Of course, yes, I want the truth. I wanna know what happened."
"Then get it from Mom," Jason whispered, giving him a sad look before he walked away.
John watched him go, ready to throw himself over the balcony if he heard that answer one more time. "Jason wait!" John ran off the balcony, trying to catch up with Jason. "Jason!"
Jason turned back around. "Yeah?" he asked, looking uneasy.
John sighed. "You don't respect me very much… do you?"
Jason frowned, walking back over to his father. "Dad… it's not that I don't respect you. Hell, a few months ago I wanted to BE you. I wanted to join the Air Force; I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps. I looked up to you."
"But I lost that… because of this thing between me and your mother?"
"No… what happened between you and mom… it wasn't exactly your fault."
"So I didn't…" he trailed off, hoping Jason would understand what he was saying.
Jason shook his head. "No… you didn't cheat on her… but she thought you did."
John cocked his head, curious as to what he meant by that. "Why would she think that? I could never cheat on a woman I cared about… especially someone I was married to for almost fifteen years!"
Jason hesitated, looking down. "She just got caught up in the past… it's complicated. It wasn't your fault... you didn't know things would get so screwed up just because of one woman from your past. Things between you were already on thin ice after Simon came."
"Simon? The guy Elizabeth is engaged to?"
Jason nodded. "Before Atlantis she'd been with him… it wasn't until after her first year on Atlantis that Simon moved on… she'd been gone a long time. When she came go Earth… well… it ended. Only for Simon…" Jason ran a hand through his hair, his eyes filled with sadness. "He still loved her; it was why he decided to join Atlantis… to see if he could win her back. They worked closely with each other, but Mom assured you that you had nothing to worry about. You weren't so sure. Before either of you knew it… things were falling out of control."
John knew it was all his future son would tell him, and was grateful to even get THAT much. "Then how did you go from me being your model to… how things are now?" he asked, wanting to know. He didn't want to lose what he had with his son, with his kids.
"You didn't fight for her," Jason whispered.
"What?" John asked, confused.
"After you and Mom split… you saw her with Simon… and you just gave up. You would never give up in the fight against the Wraith, but all it took was a kiss between Simon and Mom and you just threw in the towel. You didn't even fight for her." Jason shook his head, turning back around, walking away once more, leaving his shocked father behind. John cursed under his breath, rubbing his eyes. Things were worse than he'd thought, obviously. He needed to make things right, and now thanks to his son… he believed he knew how.
To Be Continued…
A/N: Review! Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?
